Hibernian hero Conrad Logan sings Alan Stubbs’ praises

Alan Pattullo

Conrad Logan quoted the song echoing around the stadium at the end of an extraordinary afternoon at Hampden Park on Saturday when he approached Alan Stubbs to say: Thank you.

Sunshine on Leith was playing loudly through the speakers and Logan was the one to whom Hibs were grateful after his two penalty shoot-out saves helped turn an eventful Scottish Cup semi-final tie with Dundee United in their favour.

But Logan, who turns 30 today, was quick to show his appreciation to Stubbs for giving him another chance in football. Released by Leicester City last summer, he has spent the majority of this season rehabilitating after an Achilles heel injury. He signed a short-term deal with Hibs at the end of last month after Mark Oxley incurred a one-match Scottish Cup suspension.

“I am very grateful to the gaffer for giving me the opportunity to prove I could potentially play in this game and then for him to play me,” he said. “Obviously it is a big game for the club and obviously I am grateful for his decision. I wanted to go out there and prove to him and everyone else that it was the right decision.”

Logan was informed he was being selected ahead of Otso Virtanen only half an hour before the warm-up. “He is a young lad and a good goalkeeper,” said Logan of the Finn, who had been expected to start.

“It’s one of those decisions a manager has to make, but he will have a bright future. I would have been disappointed and he was disappointed too but he supported me in the warm-up and that’s what goalkeepers do.”

Although Stubbs has confirmed Mark Oxley is still his No 1, and looks set to return in Wednesday’s league clash with Rangers, Logan believes he has given the manager something to think about. He also expressed hope other clubs were watching his performance.

“Hopefully it can kickstart things for me,” he said. “You can be quite easily forgotten about in this game when you have been out.

“It’s been on TV and is such a big game. I thought, let’s try and get up to Hibs and play in that game and put myself in the shop window. So it was up to me to perform. If not people were going to ask questions and say maybe he is not the goalkeeper he was 16 months ago. Hopefully I’ve proved I am. I’m here to the end of the season and then things will take care of themselves. I am not too worried about that.”